Classifying Figures in a Hierarchy Worksheets

Sample problems

1. Answer yes or no, with the requirements you checked: is every square a rectangle? Is every rectangle a square?
2. Answer both ways: is every square a rhombus? Is every rhombus a square?
3. Is every rectangle a rhombus? Is every rhombus a rectangle? Draw an example for each answer.
4. Name two properties a square inherits, and say which category each comes from.

Common mistakes to watch for

• Answered yes to both, or no to both. The two questions have different answers, and treating them as one question is the error the whole sheet is about.
• Named a property that squares have and rectangles do not, such as all sides equal. That one is NOT inherited — it is the extra requirement that makes a square a special rectangle, so it has to be stated rather than passed down.
• Corrected Tam with the fact (“a square IS a rectangle”) and no argument. That is another item for the list he already has — and asserted flatly it will not survive, because it contradicts every picture he has been shown. The requirements checklist is what makes it his own conclusion.

The answer key explains each one, so you can tell what a wrong answer means.